LISBON — Cristiano Ronaldo became the first footballer in history to score 900 career goals during Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League opener in Lisbon on Thursday (05 Sept 2024).
Portugal took an early lead when full-back Diogo Dalot scored, but it was Ronaldo’s close-range volley in the 34th minute that secured his historic milestone. The 39-year-old forward now has an incredible 900 goals across his illustrious career for both club and country, including 131 for Portugal.
Despite Dalot scoring an own goal just before halftime, Portugal held on for the win, putting them level on points with Group A1 leaders Poland, who triumphed over Scotland in a 3-2 thriller.
Ronaldo’s remarkable career includes goals for Sporting Lisbon (5), Manchester United (145), Real Madrid (450), Juventus (101), and his current club Al-Nassr (68). His time at Real Madrid remains a standout, where he netted 450 goals between 2009 and 2018.
In other UEFA Nations League matches, reigning champions Spain were held to a 0-0 draw by Serbia, while Denmark leads Group A4 after defeating a nine-man Swiss team 2-0 in Copenhagen.
(ia/mnm/Anadolu)